Couple with ED

What happens to a couple with erectile dysfunction?

Men, who suffer from ED due to a physical problem, often have a significant psychological reaction to the ED, such as depression, performance anxiety, or loss of self-esteem. This is a normal reaction and should not be confused with psychological impotence. Men with ED just do not feel “normal.” As one patient once put it, "I do not feel like myself."

This in turn has a profound effect on the physical and emotional relationship of a man and his partner. The partner may no longer feel attractive, will be hesitant about initiating sex or may even think that he has a mistress. He knowing that the penis does not respond to physical stimulation may stop touching or caressing her for fear of arousing her. Some men even become chronically angry or depressed, sometimes even tearful such that the partner no longer finds him sexually attractive.

Research indicates men who have intercourse more often may have less ED risk

Medical News.Net (7/2) reported, "Having intercourse more often may help prevent the development of erectile dysfunction (ED)," according to a study published in the July 2008 edition of the American Journal of Medicine. Researchers examined "a five-year study of 989 men aged 55 to 75 years" and found "that men reporting intercourse less than once per week at baseline had twice the incidence of ED compared with those reporting intercourse once per week." And, ED risk "was inversely related to the frequency of intercourse," with "79 cases per 1,000 in men who had reported sexual intercourse less than once per week, dropping to 32 cases per 1,000 in men reporting intercourse once per week and falling further to 16 per 1,000 in those reporting intercourse three or more times per week."